System for uprooting aquatic plants

ABSTRACT

An aquatic plant uprooter for ridding a body of water of undesirable plantlife, composed of a hollow handle, a hollow discharge member connected at right angles to the handle, and a plurality of regularly spaced apart nozzles connected with the discharge member. A flexible hose connects a distal end of the handle to a water pump. The handle serves as a fluidic conduit for water from the pump to flow into the discharge member, which in turn, serves as a fluidic conduit for water from the handle to flow into the nozzles. The nozzles are structured, located and mutually spaced so that a jet of water emerges from each, which collectively disturbs the soil of a body of water so as to uproot aquatic plants by undermining their anchorage in the soil. The soil-freed plants may be directly accumulated in a net member attached to the handle and discharge member, or may be collected by use of a separate rake-net system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part application ofcopending application Ser. No. 07/740,715, filed Aug. 6, 1991 now U.S.Pat. No. 5,152,126.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to devices for removing aquatic plantsfrom lakes and ponds, and more particularly to a device for uprootingaquatic plants using a plurality of water jets directed into the soilbearing the plant roots.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A frequent problem of lakefront property owners is proliferation ofchoking underwater plants as the summer progresses. While aquatic plantsserve an admittedly useful purpose with respect to the environmentalbalance of a body of water, over production of aquatic plants adjacent aproperty owner's shore impedes recreational use of the lake. The problemis more than just aesthetics: wading is unpleasant, boating can beimpaired as propellers get caught in the plant beds and swimming maybecome impossible in plant infested areas. Left unchecked, it is evenpossible over a number of years for a bay of a lake or pond to becomemarsh, as the aquatic plants choke it off.

Accordingly, riparian property owners frequently must battle aquaticplant growth in order to preserve and enhance their property value andsecure pleasurable enjoyment of the water. A number of techniques areavailable of varying cost, environmental hazard, and laboriousness; someare regulated by state law, requiring a permit before plant removal isattempted. Generally speaking, the common solutions to rid an area ofundesirable aquatic plants are: harvest them, kill them, uproot them,shade them, trample them, introduce fish that eat them, or dredge thearea and in so doing remove them.

Harvesting by machine requires very expensive equipment and usuallyrequires permits and state agency supervision. Harvesting cuts theplants below the water surface and captures the plant cuttings on amoving conveyor belt. Many of the plant cuttings escape the conveyorbelt and either float downwind to a beach or else sink, depending uponthe type of plants. In either case, some of the clippings can re-rootand start another plant. And, of course, the plants that were cut willcontinue to grow, only to be harvested again in an endless cycle.

Harvesting by hand using a rake and cutting tool has the same advantagesof machine harvesting, in that plant clippings are removed. Of course,without a capturing device for the clippings, the plant cuttings willdisperse and likely re-root, only to be thereafter cut another day.Again, the plants which have been cut continue to grow.

Uprooting the aquatic plants by hand raking is not effective at removingplants by the roots, and the process is far too laborious to bepractical. Uprooting plants by hand pulling is slow, tedious, andextremely laborious.

Certain chemicals are effective, selective killers of aquatic plants.However, there are use restrictions, and permits are required. Chemicalscan contaminate the environment, enter the food chain (including gamefish), injure wildlife, restrict swimming and limit water use fordrinking, lawn sprinkling and livestock watering. Because of the permitsand regulations associated with chemicals, the average homeowner isunlikely to be able to purchase and use them. Of course, once thechemical has become neutralized, the plants will return and proliferate.

Shading aquatic plants until they die from lack of sunlight by means ofopaque plastic sheets requires considerable installation time, and aconsiderable amount of plastic sheeting. Usually a permit is required,and the plastic sheets will interfere with recreational use of thewater.

Trampling aquatic plants is effective in those select areas whereconsiderable human traffic is common, such as public beach areas. Thetypical homeowner will not have sufficient activity to make this aviable reality.

Aquatic plant eating fish, such as the grass carp or white amur, areregulated for usage in many states. Management of the fish population ofa body of water usually requires professional assistance and can beexpensive. However, when properly managed, plant eating fish can be veryeffective in controlling aquatic plants.

Dredging requires specialized equipment which is professionallyoperated. While dredging is very effective, the effects associated withsoil removal can adversely affect the lake environment, so thistechnique is usually highly regulated by state agencies; and the cost isextremely high.

While the foregoing techniques each offer some relief from the problemsassociated with aquatic plants, none is truly well suited for use by aprivate riparian property owner. Accordingly, what is needed is asimple, easy and effective device for ridding an area of lake bottom ofundesirable aquatic plants, which is truly usable by a homeowner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a device, particularly well suited for use by alakefront homeowner, which is structured to remove aquatic plants bysending a plurality of water jets into the soil, thereby causinguprooting of the plants.

The aquatic plant uprooter according to the present invention iscomposed of a hollow handle, a hollow discharge member connected atright angles to the handle, and a plurality of regularly spaced apartnozzles connected to the discharge member. A flexible hose connects adistal end of the handle to a water pump. The handle serves as a fluidicconduit for water from the pump to flow into the discharge member, whichin turn, serves as a fluidic conduit for water from the handle to flowinto the nozzles. The nozzles are structured, located and mutuallyspaced so that a jet of water emerges from each, which collectivelydisturbs the soil of a body of water so as to uproot aquatic plants in aswath across the discharge member by loosening their anchorage in thesoil. The soil-freed plants may be directly accumulated in a collectionnet attached to the handle and discharge member, or may be collected byuse of a separate rake-net system.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide anaquatic plant uprooter which utilizes jets of water to eliminate, or atleast greatly weaken, anchorage of the plant roots in relation to thesoil, thereby freezing the plant from the lakebottom.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide anaquatic plant uprooter which uses jets of water to uproot plants and isusable by a lakefront homeowner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an aquaticplant uprooter which uses jets of water to uproot plants and furtherincludes a net attachment to collect the plants as they are uprooted.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide anaquatic plant uprooter which uses jets of water to uproot plants andwhich is structured for being pulled or pushed across the lakebottom bya user.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an aquaticplant uprooter which uses jets of water to uproot plants and which isinexpensive, efficient and effective for ridding a lake bottom ofunwanted aquatic plants.

It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide arake-net device which permits a user to easily and effectivelyaccumulate uprooted or harvested aquatic plant material from a body ofwater.

These, and additional objects, advantages, features and benefits of thepresent invention will become apparent from the following specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the aquatic plant uprooter according tothe present invention shown in operation by a lakefront homeowner.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the aquatic plant uprooter according tothe present invention, shown with an external weight member.

FIG. 2a is a detail perspective view of a strap for connecting theexternal weight member to the discharge member of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a detail, fragmentary, partly sectional side view of thedischarge member of the aquatic plant uprooter designed primarily for apull mode of operation.

FIG. 4 is a detail, fragmentary, partly sectional side view of thedischarge member of a variation of the aquatic plant uprooter whichpermits both push and pull modes of operation, and further shows aninternal weight member.

FIG. 5 is a detail, fragmentary, partly sectional front view of theaquatic plant uprooter shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the aquatic plant uprooter according to thepresent invention, shown in operation adjacent a lake bottom in theprocess of uprooting aquatic plants.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the aquatic plant uprooter according tothe present invention, showing further a collection net for collectinguprooted aquatic plants.

FIG. 8 is a detail, fragmentary, partly sectional side view of thedischarge member of the variation of the aquatic plant uprooter, seenalong lines 8--8 in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a rake-net device having a collectionnet for collecting uprooted or harvested aquatic plants, showing oneform of structural configuration therefor.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a rake-net device having a collectionnet for collecting uprooted or harvested aquatic plants, showing asecond form of structural configuration therefor.

FIG. 11 is a detail end view of the rake-net device, seen along lines11--11 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the aquatic plant uprooter according tothe present invention, in which the discharge member has inherent weightsufficient to obviate addition of a weight member thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Of all available methods of aquatic plant control, uprooting ispreferred, as there is a minimum of ecological damage, growth isprevented, and regrowth can happen only in the event entirely new plantssprout. However, the exertion to manually uproot plants by extractingthem from undisturbed soil is far too extreme to be practical forriparian homeowners. To solve this problem, the present invention is adevice which uproots aquatic plants by use of water jets. According tothe present invention, plants are uprooted by loss of supporting soilfor the roots, resulting in separation of the plant from the soil.

Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 shows the aquatic plant uprooter 10according to the present invention being used by an individual, in thiscase a riparian homeowner. It will be seen from the depiction that theaquatic plant uprooter 10 is composed of a handle 12 and a dischargemember 14 connected perpendicularly at its middle to the forward end ofthe handle 12. A plurality of nozzles 18 are provided in a row alignedparallel with the cylindrical axis of the discharge member 14, beinglocated thereon so as to be directed downwardly toward the lake bottom20 when the handle 12 is held at an operational angle by a user of about35 to 45 degrees relative to the lake bottom, as shown in FIG. 1. Inthis regard, the handle preferably includes a hand grip portion 12b forbeing held by the user which is oriented generally parallel to the watersurface when the handle 12 is at the operational angle.

Both the handle 12 and the discharge member 14 are hollow, formingconjoining closed fluidic conduits for conducting water under pressurefrom the distal end 22 of the handle 12 to the nozzles 18. In thisregard, it is preferred for these components to be of cylindricalcross-section. While circular cross-sections are preferred, it is alsopermissible for the discharge member 14 to be of an ellipticalcross-section, with the nozzles located on a flatter portion of thesurface curvature. An elliptical cross-section can have an advantagewith respect to the ability for the discharge member to rest upon thesoil rather than tending to bury into it during operation, as mighthappen with narrow circularly cross-sectioned discharge members. Thehandle and discharge member are constructed of a durable, noncorrosivematerial that can withstand operation internal fluid pressures of around20 to 60 p.s.i. or higher, such as for instance PVC, corrosion protectedsteel or iron, stainless steel, etc. In order that the handle be rigidlyaffixed to the discharge member, it is preferred for the handle 12 tointerconnect with the discharge member 14 by means of a saddle shapedjoint member 12a that is, itself, connected with the discharge member. Atee joint member 12a' or other related joint member well known in theplumbing arts could be used as well for this purpose. Alternatively, thehandle 12 may be directly connected with the discharge member 14, suchas by welding. The interconnection between the discharge member 14 (orthe joint member) and the handle 12 may be by threads, adhesive, weldingor other suitable means. In any event, the connection structure is to beselected so as to hold the handle 12 and the discharge member 14 rigidlytogether and be leak tight when internal fluid pressure is presenttherein.

Since it is important that the discharge member does not move upwardlyaway from the lake bottom 20 when water jets exit from the nozzles 18upon actuation of a water pump (described hereinbelow), the dischargemember must be heavy enough. If the discharge member 14 is intrinsicallyheavy because it is constructed of a heavy material such as corrosionprotected steel, corrosion protected iron, stainless steel, and thelike, as shown in FIG. 12, then no additional weight is required.However, if the discharge member 14 is constructed of a light material,such as PVC, then a weight must be added thereto, either in the form ofan external weight member 34 or an internal weight member 34'. Any heavymaterials can be used for the external and internal weight members 34,34', such as lead or plastic coated cast iron. The external weightmember 34 is preferred to be connected externally to the dischargemember 14 by straps 34i a and 34a', as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, butother connection means are acceptable. For example, an external weightmember 34 could be in almost any form, such as diver' s weightsconnected on the discharge member by a strap, external sleeves whichslip onto each side of the discharge member, or some sort of weightconnected with the handle adjacent the general area of the connectionlocation thereof with the discharge member. The internal weight member34' is preferably connected internally to the discharge member 14, asshown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In this regard, either end of the internalweight member 34' seatably abuts a seat 15' in each closed end cap 15 ofthe discharge member 14. Other connection means are acceptable for theinternal weight member 34'. For example, the internal weight member mayslide on an internal tube within the discharge member, or may be glued,welded, or otherwise connected to the discharge member. It is preferredthat each of the external and internal weight members 34, 34' bereplaceable so that more or less weight can be used in relation to theforce generated by the jets, as per a selected water pump, to therebyensure that the discharge member remains adjacent the soil duringoperation without an undue amount of forceful manipulation by the user.The weight may also be adjusted to suit a user's preference for deeperpenetration of the discharge member into the soil during operation,which can be afforded by heavier weight. It is preferred for each of theexternal and internal weight members 34 to be co-extensive with thedischarge member 14, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, although this is not arequirement. As mentioned hereinabove, when the discharge member 14 isitself sufficiently heavy, as shown in FIG. 12, no weight member eitherinternal or external, is needed. Accordingly, the aquatic plant uprooter10 as shown in FIG. 12 is most preferred.

The nozzles 18 are preferred to be constructed of metal, such as brass.The nozzles are preferred to partly protrude from the discharge member,as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Alternatively, non-protruding nozzles 18' maybe preferably used, the nozzles being seated within the dischargemember, a shown in FIG. 4. Partly protruding nozzles afford an advantageof deeper water jet penetration into the soil, and a further advantageof some plant and soil agitation, as the nozzles act as tines. Ofcourse, the nozzles must be structurally strong in order to accommodatethe forces associated with physical interactions, if protruding nozzlesare utilized.

A water pump 24 is fluidically connected by a flexible discharge hose26. The discharge hose 26 is in turn threadably connected to the distalend 22 of the handle 12. An intake hose 28 fluidically connects theintake of the water pump 24 to the body of water 30. It is preferred forthe intake hose 28 to include a filtration member 32 at its intake end.

The following two examples of specifications of an aquatic plantuprooter are presented only by way of example information, since otherspecifications are acceptable. Example one; see FIG. 1: The handle 12and discharge member 14 are constructed of PVC conduit having a 1.5 inchdiameter. The handle has a length of about 5 feet, while the dischargemember has a length of about 3 feet. Nozzles 18 each have an internaldiameter of 3/16 inch, are spaced along the entire length of thedischarge member at 1.5 inches apart on center, and are of theprotruding type, extending outwardly from the discharge member aboutone-half inch. A suitable external weight member 34 is connected withthe discharge member. The water pump 24 has a 2.5 H.P. motor and thepump is of the centrifugal type, rated at 5,700 gallons-per-minute at 20p.s.i. (an example of such a water pump is that typically used byriparian homeowners for watering their lawns). Example two (which ismost preferred); see FIG. 12: The handle 12 and discharge member 14 areconstructed of a corrosion protected steel pipe having a 1.5 inchdiameter. The handle has a length of about 5 feet, while the dischargemember has a length of about 3 feet. Nozzles 18 each have an internaldiameter of 3/16 inch, are spaced along the entire length of thedischarge member at 1.5 inches apart on center, and are of theprotruding type, extending outwardly from the discharge member aboutone-half inch. The discharge member is inherently sufficiently heavy sono separate weight member is connected with the discharge member. Thewater pump 24 has a 2.5 H.P. motor and the pump is, again, of thecentrifugal type, rated at 5,700 gallons-per-minute at 20 p.s.i.

With reference now being directed to the combination of FIGS. 1 and 6,operation of the aquatic plant uprooter will now be detailed.

The user grabs the hand grip 12b and places the discharge memberadjacent the lake bottom 20 with the nozzles 18 pointing directly downthereinto. The water pump 24 is thereupon actuated, causing pressurizedwater W to flow through the handle and discharge member and then emergeas a water jet J from each of the nozzles 18. The water jets churn thesoil 20a of the lake bottom 20, undermining the roots by forming apocket 36 of very loose soil and water, thereby causing the roots 38a ofaquatic plants 38 to be freed from the soil 20a (or freed with verylittle mechanical assist) and then be collected. As can be discerned byreference to FIG. 1, a relatively plant free region 20' in the lakebottom 20 is produced after the discharge member 14 has been passed overthat portion of the lake bottom. In this regard, discharge members ofnarrow cross-section, on the order of 1.5 to 2 inches, may be used bybeing pulled from a first position away from the user toward the user(direction D in FIG. 6). In this scenario of operation, the user maymove the discharge member relative to the lakebottom by walking or byserial step of walking then stopping and then pulling by the handle.Narrow cross-sectioned discharge members have a tendency to dig into thesoil if pushed away from the user. A wide cross-sectioned dischargemember, on the order of 4 or more inches, may be used by either pullingtoward the user or pushed away from the user across the lakebottom 20.In any event, it is important not to move the discharge member tooquickly lest the soil not be sufficiently disturbed as to free the peskyplants, but not so slow that the nozzles dig into the soil so as to burythe discharge member thereinto.

The weight of the discharge member in combination with the handle,nozzle diameter, nozzle spacing, diameter of the discharge member, andwater pump head pressure and flow rate are all coordinated so that thedischarge member 14 can pass directly over an area of the lakebottom, asdepicted in FIG. 6, and thereupon disturb the soil so as to free theplant roots from the soil. It is preferred to use only so much pressureas is necessary to loosen the plant roots from the soil so that they areeasily uprooted. In this regard, pressure of between 20 to 60 p.s.i. arepreferred, and pressures around 20 p.s.i. are most preferred. Higherpressures tend to result in soil blasting which risks unnecessaryenvironmental damage to the lakebottom soil, while pressures too lowwill not be sufficient for the water jets to churn the soil so as toundermine the roots of the aquatic plants; the preferred operationpressure is within these two extremes.

While the description of operation hereinabove pertains to an individualstanding in the water or the adjacent shore, it is also possible tooperate the aquatic plant uprooter 10 from a boat or other platform overthe water, such as a dock. It is further possible to mount the waterpump 24 to a floating platform or position it in a boat or upon someother platform over the water. Further in this regard, it is possiblefor the aquatic plant uprooter to be constructed on a much larger scalefor aquatic plant uprooting of extensive sections of a lakebottom usingappropriate support machinery such as a boat mounted derrick. It isstill further possible for the handle 12 to be composed of mutuallytelescoping components, threadably interconnected segments, or simply bein the form of a sufficiently long handle so that operation from a boat,a dock or the shore is facilitated.

Once the aquatic plants have been freed from the soil of the lakebottomby operation of the aquatic plant uprooter 10, the next problem to besolved is collecting the plants. One solution is to let water currentscarry them away, but this is unsound and unrealistic. To ensure thatneighbors are happy and that floating uprooted plants cannot laterre-root, they must be collected and carried to a disposal site.

As single step approach to aquatic plant removal is to equip the aquaticplant uprooter 10' with a net for collecting loosened plants. In thisregard, a frame structure is employed which connects with the handle 12and the discharge member 14 for supportably holding a net. As an exampleof a suitable structure, FIGS. 7 and 8 depict a semi-circular brace 42and a channel member 45 which runs along the top of the discharge member14 (the internal form of weight member 34' being employed). Thesemi-circular brace 42 includes elbows 47 which are connected with thechannel member 45 by means of common fasteners 43. The apex of thesemi-circular brace is connected to the handle by a strap 44 and thechannel member is connected to the discharge member also by straps 44.The net 40 is sewn to the semi-circular brace and the channel member andis slung over the discharge member opposite the nozzles 18, so as tohave an opening portion 40a for collecting plants located between thesemi-circular brace 42 and the discharge member, and an accumulationportion 40b for holding collected plants located forwardly of thedischarge member (in a direction away from the handle). It is to benoted that the foregoing structural description is by way of exampleonly; other frame structures and net connections thereto are possible,such as that depicted in FIGS. 10 and 11.

In operation, as plants are uprooted, the net collects them andaccumulates them for later disposal. This aquatic plant uprooter 10' ispreferred for use when there are relatively few plants to be uprooted,such as maintenance of a previously uprooted lakebottom area.

Alternatively, the user may want to employ a two step approach toridding his/her riparian property of aquatic plants, particularly wherethere is a high density of plants in the area. In this case, the aquaticplant uprooter 10 of FIG. 1 is utilized, followed by a separatecollecting operation using a rake-net device 48 having a rake, a frameconnected with the rake and a net connected with the frame. Two examplesof rake-net structures are depicted in FIG. 9 and FIGS. 10 and 11; theseare exemplar only and not intended to be structurally limiting.

In the structural example shown in FIG. 9, a handle 12' connects with aperpendicularly oriented cross-member 49 which supports a plurality ofrake tines 50. As in the net structure depicted in FIGS. 7 and 8, asemi-circular brace 42' connects with a channel member 45', and thesemi-circular brace and channel member connect to the handle and thecross-member by means of straps 44'. A replaceable net 40' has acollection portion 40a' and an accumulation portion 40b' and is attachedin the manner described above with respect to FIGS. 7 and 8.

In the structural example shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a handle 12'connects with a perpendicularly oriented cross-member 49 which supportsa plurality of rake tines 50. It is preferred, but not required, forcross-braces 53 to be connected with the handle 12' and the cross-member49 for adding structural stability therebetween. A frame 52 has astraight portion 52b and a semi-circular portion 52a (of course, portion52a can be other than semi-circular in shape). The frame 52 ispreferably of a single piece construction having two ends 52c whichoverlappingly connect together at the location where a fastener 54attaches the frame to the handle 12'. The straight portion 52b of theframe 52 is attached to the cross-member 49 by a plurality of fasteners56. A preferred frame material is a single piece aluminum strap, butother materials are also permissible and the frame can be in more thanone piece. A replaceable net 40' has a collection portion 40a' and anaccumulation portion 40b' and is attached to the frame by operation ofan edge loop 58 which is threaded onto the frame starting at one of theends 52c thereof so as to spread-out over both the straight andsemi-circular portions of the frame 52.

In operation the tines stir-up the soil and rake the aquatic plants,while the net collects and stores then for later disposal.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, theabove described preferred embodiment may be subject to change ormodification. For instance, the net can be made out of variousmaterials. Such change or modification can be carried out withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, which is intended to belimited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for uprooting aquatic plants, whereinthe aquatic plants possess roots which provide anchorage therefor intosoil located beneath a body of water, said device being provided with asource of pressurized water, said device comprising:a handle having aforward end and an opposite distal end, said handle being of elongateshape and of hollow construction forming a fluidic conduit from saidforward end to said distal end thereof; means for connecting said distalend of said handle to the source of pressurized water; a dischargemember having a first end and an opposite second end, said dischargemember being connected to said forward end of said handle at a locationon said discharge member substantially midway between said first andsecond ends thereof, said discharge member being of elongate shape andof hollow construction forming a fluidic conduit between said first andsecond ends thereof, said discharge member being oriented substantiallyperpendicularly with respect to said handle, said fluidic conduit ofsaid discharge member fluidically communicating with said fluidicconduit of said handle, said discharge member having a cylindrical axis;and a plurality of nozzles connected with said discharge member andarranged in a row parallel to the cylindrical axis between said firstand second ends of said discharge member, said plurality of nozzlesfluidically communicating with said fluidic conduit of said dischargemember; wherein the source of pressurized water provides a flow ofpressurized water into said distal end of said handle, through saidfluidic conduit of said handle, out said forward end of said handle andinto said fluidic conduit of said discharge member, and thereupon intosaid plurality of nozzles so as to produce a water jet exiting from eachnozzle of said plurality of nozzles; said discharge member incombination with said handle having a predetermined amount of weightsuch that said discharge member is thereby kept adjacent the soil whensaid water jet exits from each said nozzle; said water jet exiting eachsaid nozzle having a predetermined pressure and water flow rate so as toundermine soil anchorage of the roots of the aquatic plants.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1, further comprising net means connected with saidhandle and said discharge member for collecting the uprooted aquaticplants.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein said net means comprises:framemeans connected with said handle and discharge member for providing asupport structure having a predetermined shape; and a net connected withsaid frame means, said net having an opening portion for receivingaquatic plants defined by said frame means, said net further having anaquatic plant accumulation portion located forwardly of said frame meansin a direction away from said handle.
 4. The device of claim 2, whereina portion of each nozzle of said plurality of nozzles protrudesoutwardly from said discharge member.
 5. The device of claim 2, whereineach nozzle of said plurality of nozzles is substantially located withinsaid discharge member.
 6. A system for uprooting aquatic plants, whereinthe aquatic plants possess roots which provide anchorage therefor intosoil located beneath a body of water, said system comprising;a handlehaving a forward end and an opposite distal end, said handle being ofelongate shape and of hollow construction forming a fluidic conduit fromsaid forward end to said distal end thereof; water pump means forproviding a flow of pressurized water by pumping water from the body ofwater and delivering the pressurized water to said distal end of saidhandle; a discharge member having a first end and an opposite secondend, said discharge member being connected to said forward end of saidhandle at a location on said discharge member substantially midwaybetween said first and second ends thereof, said discharge member beingof elongate shape and of hollow construction forming a fluidic conduitbetween said first and second ends thereof, said discharge member beingoriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to said handle, saidfluidic conduit of said discharge member fluidically communicating withsaid fluidic conduit of said handle, said discharge member having acylindrical axis; and a plurality of nozzles connected with saiddischarge member and arranged in a row parallel with the cylindricalaxis between said first and second ends of said discharge member, saidplurality of nozzles fluidically communicating with said fluidic conduitof said discharge member; wherein said water pump means provides a flowof pressurized water into said distal end of said handle, through saidfluidic conduit of said handle, out said forward end of said handle andinto said fluidic conduit of said discharge member, and thereupon intosaid plurality of nozzles so as to produce a water jet exiting from eachnozzle of said plurality of nozzles; said discharge member incombination with said handle having a predetermined amount of weightsuch that said discharge member is thereby kept adjacent the soil whensaid water jet exits from each said nozzle; said water jet exiting eachsaid nozzle having a predetermined pressure and water flow rate so as toundermine soil anchorage of the roots of the aquatic plants.
 7. Thesystem of claim 6, further comprising a rake-net for collecting uprootedaquatic plants, said rake-net comprising:a handle; tine means connectedwith said handle for providing a plurality of mutually connected tines;frame means connected with said handle and said tine means for providinga support structure having a predetermined shape; and a net connectedwith said frame means, said net having an opening portion for receivingaquatic plants defined by said frame means, said net further having anaquatic plant accumulation portion located forwardly of said frame meansin a direction away from said handle.
 8. The system of claim 7, whereinsaid tine means comprises:a cross-member having a first end and anopposite second end, said cross-member member being connected to saidforward end of said handle at a location on said cross-membersubstantially midway between said first and second ends thereof, saidcross-member being oriented substantially perpendicularly with respectto said handle; and a plurality of substantially regularly spaced aparttines connected to said cross-member.
 9. The system of claim 6, furthercomprising net means connected with said handle and said dischargemember for collecting the uprooted aquatic plants.
 10. The system ofclaim 9, wherein said net means comprises:frame means connected withsaid handle and discharge member for providing a support structurehaving a predetermined shape; and a net connected with said frame means,said net having an opening portion for receiving aquatic plants definedby said frame means, said net further having an aquatic plantaccumulation portion located forwardly of said frame means in adirection away from said handle.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein aportion of each nozzle of said plurality of nozzles protrudes outwardlyfrom said discharge member.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein eachnozzle of said plurality of nozzles is substantially located within saiddischarge member.